PubMed Health⌕ Search
Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 9449930

Changing trends.

D S Rosenthal
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Dr. Rosenthal, President of the American Cancer Society, notes that in this year's annual cancer statistics article, for the first time a favorable change in direction is reported. The data document a reduction in the total number of new cancer cases and declining cancer death rates in the United States. In addition, 5-year survival rates continue to improve for most cancers. Nevertheless, some areas still need further attention, such as the differences in survival statistics between African Americans and whites and the more favorable decline in mortality among men than among women.

Explore related subjects

Black or African AmericanBlack PeopleFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleNeoplasmsSEER ProgramSex FactorsSurvival RateUnited StatesWhite PeopleEditorial

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

D S Rosenthal. Changing trends.. https://doi.org/10.3322/canjclin.48.1.3

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2010

Common charge-shift mutation Glu65Lys in K+ channel β₁-Subunit KCNMB1: pleiotropic consequences for glomerular filtration rate and progressive renal disease.

BACKGROUND: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a heritable trait, and hyperfiltration (GFR increment in remnant nephrons) may accelerate renal functional decline in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Mesangial and vascular smooth myocytes control GFR by contraction, dependent on voltage-gated Ca(2+) influx, which is controlled by the regulatory β₁-subunit (KCNMB1) of large-conductance heteromeric K+ ('BK') channels. KCNMB1 gain-of-function variant Glu65Lys results in generalized vasorelaxation and thus protection against systemic hypertension. Here we asked whether the Glu65Lys variant influences GFR, in the basal state or during progressive renal decline. METHODS: We explored Glu65Lys effects on GFR in three populations spanning two ethnicities and two diseases (hypertension and nephrosclerosis). GFR was either estimated (eGFR from serum creatinine) or directly measured (iothalamate clearance). RESULTS: The 65Lys variant was relatively common, occurring on ∼5-10% of chromosomes in different biogeographic ancestry groups, and 65Lys carriers exhibited higher eGFR in two primary care populations: extreme BP values in Kaiser clinics (p = 0.029, accounting for ∼0.2% of trait variance), or treated hypertensives in VA clinics (p = 0.017, accounting for ∼0.9% of trait variance). In blacks with progressive renal disease (NIDDK AASK), 65Lys carriers displayed a steeper slope in GFR chronic decline (p = 0.030, accounting for ∼0.4% of trait variance), and Glu65Lys genotype also predicted time of onset of renal failure (log rank p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Common KCNMB1 gain-of-function variant Glu65Lys influences GFR, and 65Lys carriers exhibit not only elevated baseline GFR, but also more rapid GFR decline (and consequent development of renal failure) in CKD. The results suggest that profiling patients at Glu65Lys can assist in gauging renal prognosis as well as selection of rational therapy in hypertension with progressive renal disease.

Black or African American↗
PubMed2002

Breast, cervical, and colorectal carcinoma screening in a demographically defined region of the southern U.S.

BACKGROUND: The "Southern Black Belt," a term used for > 100 years to describe a subregion of the southern U.S., includes counties with high concentrations of African Americans and high levels of poverty and unemployment, and relatively high rates of preventable cancers. METHODS: The authors analyzed data from a state-based telephone survey of adults age >or= 18 years to compare the cancer screening patterns of African-American and white men and women in nonmetropolitan counties of this region, and to compare those rates with those of persons in other southern counties and elsewhere in the U.S. The primary study groups were comprised of 2165-5888 women and 1198 men in this region interviewed through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The respondents lived in predominantly rural counties in 11 southern states with sizeable African-American populations (>or= 24.5% of county residents). The main outcome measures were recent use of the Papanicolau (Pap) test, mammography, test for fecal occult blood in the stool (FOBT), and flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. RESULTS: Between 1998-2000, 66.3% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] +/- 2.7%) of 1817 African-American women in the region age >or= 40 years had received a mammogram within the past 2 years, compared with 69.3% (95% CI +/- 1.8%) of 3922 white women (P = 0.066). The proportion of African-American and white women who had received a Pap test within the past 3 years was similar (85.7% [95% CI +/- 1.9%] vs. 83.4% [95% CI +/- 1.5%]; P = 0.068]. In 1997 and 1999, 29.3% of African-American women in these counties reported ever receiving an FOBT, compared with 36.9% in non-Black Belt counties and 42.5% in the remainder of the U.S. Among white women, 37.7% in Black Belt counties, 44.0% in non-Black Belt counties, and 45.3% in the remainder of the U.S. ever received an FOBT. Overall, similar patterns were noted among both men and women with regard to ever-use of FOBT, flexible sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy. Screening rates appeared to vary less by race than by region. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study underscore the need for continued efforts to ensure that adults in the nonmetropolitan South receive educational messages, outreach, and provider recommendations concerning the importance of routine cancer screening.

Black or African American↗